


Demon Investigator

by PartHistory



Category: Naruto, Shin Megami Tensei Series
Genre: Action/Adventure, Demons, F/M, M/M, Mystery, No harems - Freeform, Reincarnated Into Another World, Supernatural Elements, The Gamer
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-15
Updated: 2019-04-15
Packaged: 2020-01-13 13:13:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,110
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18469675
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PartHistory/pseuds/PartHistory
Summary: A man wakes in the boundary between two worlds with an otherworldly being offering a strange device to him. He is offered a “choice” to accept the strange device and save the Naruto universe, consequentially saving his own in the process, or letting both universes get deleted. "Investigate all sources of demonic energy in this world. Demons will be the cause of all your future strife. Find them and destroy them…Demon Tamer." He must unravel many mysteries surrounding the Naruto world if he is going to save it. Oc main character. The Gamer/MegaTen crossover (Knowledge about MegaTen not required).





	1. And Now, the Game Begins

Title: Demon Investigator

Disclaimer: I own nothing from either series. Author’s note: This is a reincarnated into another world type of fic. I intend to keep everyone in character (important to me). This is also a crossover between Naruto and Megami Tensei. Never heard of it? Good. My intention is to hopefully draw more attention to an amazing, but underappreciated series of games. There is NO NEED TO KNOW ABOUT MEGAMI TENSEI BEFORE YOU READ THIS. You may have heard of Persona which is a Megami Tensei spin-off. Anyway, this is my first fanfiction so please be gentle. I’ve written many things, but never have I written fiction so please leave some feedback! On to…THE STORY! Full summary: A man wakes in the boundary between two worlds with an otherworldly being offering a strange device to him. He is offered a “choice” to accept the strange device and save the Naruto universe, consequentially saving his own in the process, or letting both universes get deleted. “Find all sources of demonic energy in this world. Demons will be the cause of all your future strife. Find them and destroy them…Demon Tamer.” Slight the Gamer crossover/MegaTen crossover (don’t need to know what this is). NO HAREM. Will be pairings, but they are not a focus.

Chapter 1: And Now, the Game Begins

                ‘ _It was so fast.’_ Nathan thought. _‘One minute I was alive and happy and the next I died. Or maybe I’m not dead? I can’t really remember…but if I’m not dead, where am I? No, I definitely died. I remember getting shot and bleeding out.’_ Someone was trying to break into his car. ‘ _Wait, it was someone else’s car.’_ It all started flooding back. Someone was trying to steal a car with another person still in it. Things started to get violent and Nathan heroically tried to save the person in the car, a stranger. Despite his efforts, or maybe because of them, the situation escalated. The man pulled a gun out and…well. ‘ _Am I really remembering this right? That doesn’t sound like me at all.’_

                Nathan was 20-year-old human that seemed to embody normal and uninteresting qualities. Strangely, once he decided to step up, people often took what he said to heart. He seemed to be something of a natural leader. However, he preferred to be nondescript. Never did he stand out in any meaningful way and he found most of his pleasure in life came from very basic things like playing video games, reading books, and even simply drinking good tea. Some would call him boring, but he found that this was the way he most enjoyed his life. He had short blue hair, that was messy as usual, and plain glasses he got after his eyes deteriorated from too much reading. According to him, his only notable features are his above average height and his blue hair.

‘ _So where am I and why am I here? How did it end up this way?’_ he wondered to himself. To be honest he often wanted to be a hero…he didn’t exactly expect to die when he finally manned up. He stood (or floated?) in what seemed to be a white void that stretched on forever. But that was not at all what was most interesting about this place. What was most interesting was the being inside this strange place. Not himself of course, but a truly beautiful, ethereal being with 2 large white wings that each seemed bigger than he was. Black nails and long black hair. ‘ _What is she...?’_

“I am the angel Gabriel and thou art here because thou art the Lord’s chosen.” The strange being spoke in a less calm way than he expected. “Thou had better think twice before debasing thine self again. The Lord would never choose a normal human to do His will.”

“Can you read my mind…?” Nathan asked suddenly uncomfortable. “Wait, you’re an angel? As in God’s angel? God is real?”

“Thou are ignorant of God’s love. Enough to doubt His existence. Pitiful.” Gabriel looked genuinely sad at that. “Thou will repent for this egregious sin by repenting in thine next life. In the world thou will recognize as the world of ‘Naruto.’”

                “Next life!? Wait…Naruto!? Isn’t that just a fictional world?” Nathan shouted half panicked. Mind still reeling from new information. “And…you mean reincarnation, right? You can do that?”

                “Yes, ignorant one. Nothing is beyond His power” Gabriel said. “Thou art His chosen and thou will save the…” Gabriel paused. “Heh sorry kid. I got tired of talking like that. I realized this ruse isn’t really necessary anyway.” Her face scrunched up in a way that ruined the previous illusion of an angelic nature. “I was just messing with you because I enjoy tricking people but, well, I figure you’ll have a rough enough time without my adding to it. Sorry bout’ that.” As she said this her demeanor changed into one that was amused, almost playful.

                Tears of frustration began gathering in Nathan’s eyes. “Seriously?” he asked in a tone that gave away his feelings of betrayal, his tone rising in his anger. “I died today right? I don’t need someone toying with my emotions right now! Are you getting a kick out of this!? MY LIFE ISN’T A JOKE!” He finished shouting in a way he never had before.

                Immediately, “ _Gabriel’s_ ” face dropped into a scowl. “I’m not an archangel kid, but I can still think you out of existence,” she said harshly. And terrifyingly enough, Nathan believed she was honest about that if nothing else.

                “So, I guess that business about the Naruto world was a joke too,” he half asked, half stated. “What are you going to do with me now?”

                Going right back to amused, she said, “Actually, I was completely honest about that.” She reached into the air, towards nothing it seemed until her hand began vanishing in the air. It seemed like she was reaching into a place that was invisible to him. “I have a mission for you…” she said going from joyful to serious as she retracted her hand. She pulled out a strange metal gauntlet with a screen on it. “Take this gauntlet and put it on. If you do, you will accept the responsibility of protecting the Naruto universe…and your own.”

                Nathan looked on in shock, “You can’t be serious.” He shook his head, “You can’t expect me to believe what you say now. You’ve been flipping from one emotion to the next this whole time.” He tried to pick his words carefully, “No matter what you say, I’ll never know if I should believe you.”

                “I won’t just tell you what will happen if you do nothing, I’ll show you the future,” she assured with a smile on her face that he couldn’t decipher. “Actually, the reason I did this whole ridiculous façade is because I was told to and I thought it might be fun. Besides, I could have kept lying and you would have been none the wiser.” Her face turned to what seemed to be a genuinely warm expression. “I won’t lie anymore kid, I promise, and I can’t break promises. Literally. Despite what you may think, I’m not your enemy. I’m here to help you.”

                 Just like that, faster than he could perceive, she was standing right in front of him. Her hands were already on his head and before he could react, the world was black. He was suddenly in the small town he used to live in. Everything was so different now though. Not in the way that a lot of time had passed, but in the way that it looked like a disaster had rolled through it seconds ago. No, it looked like an apocalypse. He looked to where buildings should be, but instead of familiar structures he only saw rubble and fire. Feeling sick, he asked himself, _‘Where’s my house? Where’s my family?’_ He swiftly found himself standing in front of it…or at least where it used to be. _‘The entire neighborhood is gone!’_

                Then, he was shown a series of places he had been to in the past or maybe he was showing them to himself by thinking about them. All of them, from New York City to his favorite bookstore, were completely decimated. _‘How? What happened? What could have done this?’_

Suddenly he was transported to a version of New York that looked much less devastated. Soldiers and tanks lined the street he was on and an attack helicopter flew overhead. The men were mostly crouched behind cars, as they pointed their guns in the same direction…waiting. They all seemed to be training their weapons on a purple swirling portal on the side of a building. _‘There must be at least 5 tanks here and 20 or so soldiers,’_ He thought with some surprise. He had never seen a battlefield in his life.

“This was one of the first battles at the start of the invasion.” Without him noticing, ‘Gabriel’ had appeared beside him. “The military tried to, or will try to, assess just how screwed they are.”

As she said this, a…monster appeared. He didn’t know what else to call it. A 15-foot hulking monster with long black hair and razor-sharp teeth. Wearing a fur tunic, it had a necklace with human skulls on it and a bag full of human limbs strapped to it’s waist. It carried a massive meat cleaver in its right hand, and it had a glare that sent chills down Nathan’s spine, even though he was sure it couldn’t see him.

                It gave an eerie, dumb smile at the soldiers. Every soldier’s hands were shaking as sweat poured down their faces. A man, who must be the commander, shouted “OPEN Fi-“ and suddenly, it sprinted at a speed that can only be called inhuman towards the nearest soldier, grabbing him by the head and lifting him into the air with complete ease. The soldier screamed and twisted in his grasp. “HELP! SOMEONE! AHHHH!” He screamed as the monster crushed his head without effort. The monster then simply ripped into his arm with his teeth and began eating it.

                “HUMAN GOOD. ME PREFER WOMEN THOUGH. CHILDREN TOO. BOTH TASTIER” The monster said in a deep booming voice that reverberated across the street turned battlefield.

                Every soldier was too stunned to react. Not even a single bullet was fired yet. “That thing talks…” one soldier breathed out baffled. “It killed him…in an instant,” another said with obvious fear in his trembling voice. The commander stood tall and shouted at the top of his lungs, “FIIIRE!” Almost before the word came out every soldier was firing at once. The tanks shot all 5 shells at once causing deafening blasts. A hail of bullets pierced the resulting smoke and continued until the smoke had nearly cleared. “HOLD FIRE!” the commander shouted. To his horror, he realized they had just vaporized whatever soldiers were standing around the monster. “At least their sacrifice will be remembered,” he said under his breath. But as the smoke cleared, the monster still stood there. Scratching it’s head and looking only slightly damaged it said, “HUMANS DONE NOW? THAT HURT. ANNOYING. MOSTLY BIG THINGS METAL THINGS.” It almost seemed to vanish in its speed appearing before a group of soldiers and cutting through them with a single swing. Immediately, the soldiers opened fire again but this time it was rampaging through the soldiers preventing the tanks from firing on it, though it seemed to be by complete accident. It leapt forward chasing a tank, leaving it clear of people. The tank in front of it fired immediately hitting the monster dead center causing it to let out an inhuman cry. Abruptly, the monster’s cleaver carved through the tank like butter causing yet another explosion.

                The commander panicked, “ALL TANKS, HELO, SOLDIERS KILL THAT DAMN THING! THROW EVERYTHING YOU HAVE AT IT” A massive storm of bullets, missiles, and tank shells rained down on one location at the same time. Pieces of concrete and shrapnel flew everywhere as the monster was pelted with every weapon the soldiers had.

                Eventually, the smoke had cleared once again, and the monster lay dying in a crater that was once part of a street. “URGH. HOW THIS…HAPPEN?” the monster asked as he drew his last breath.

                The commander looked relived. “God it’s over. Finally.”

Another soldier said shakily, “S-s-Sir! Look!”

The commander couldn’t believe his eyes as hope drained from him. “No. No way.”

Nathan was just as dumbfounded. Walking out of the portal was an army of those…things. At least 50 of them. “WHERE HE GO? HE ALWAYS RUNNING OFF WITHOUT US.”

…..

………….

And just like that, just as quickly as the vivid vision began, it had ended. Nathan was on the floor sweating and gasping for air. “What the hell was that!?” He stood up unsteadily. “What was that thing!? Do they end the world?” Never having seen a battlefield, he was still shaking and in a cold sweat.

He daresay she looked sympathetic. “They hardly ended the world. And besides, this isn’t a matter of whether the world ends…it’s a matter of whether the universe ends. No, both universes are in danger of ending.”

                After taking time to compose himself, Nathan asked, “Well then, what were they? You never told me. And what ends the universe?”

                She takes a deep breath and levels a serious look at him, “Those were called Ogres. They were demons, and not even particularly strong ones. The world will end in an event simply called ‘the invasion.’ The Naruto world that is. That universe is where this all begins. After the fall of the second world, both universes will be deleted to prevent this catastrophe from spreading. The only thing worse than that is…if whatever is behind this is too strong, then deleting the universe it’s in won’t do anything. It’s amazing that humanity is being given this chance at all.”

                “I…believe you,” Nathan said much to her shock. “If I’m really the only one then…” Yuuya grabbed his gauntlet with a look that was equal parts fear and determination, “I’ll do anything. To save myself, to save my family, to save everyone. I can’t let the future I saw happen to everything I’ve ever cared about.” Another look of doubt crossed his face, “But really, why me? And I mean me specifically. I’m sure there are other people who would do this. Other people who would do it better even. A fighter? A soldier?”

                “Honestly?” she asked with a shrug. “I’m not so sure. You’d have to ask someone else. Someone reeeal high up on the food chain.” A smile returns to her lips, “So? Are you going to take the gauntlet…hero?” As she asks once again, extending it towards him for the first time.

                He hesitated, he thought about many things. _‘Will I be able to change anything? Really? Does this thing give me superpowers or something? Will I ever see my family again if I take it? I guess I wouldn’t if I didn’t take it too…’_ Before he even realized it, he had already taken the gauntlet from her hand. _‘Why did I…it’s just like before with that women. I acted without thinking.’_ To his fascination, the gauntlet lit up without doing anything besides touching it. He proceeded to slip it onto his hand like a glove.

**“USER FOUND. Registering Data.”**

_‘Huh? What’s that voice?’_

**(NAME)**

**LVL 1**

**TITLE: HUMAN (NO BENEFIT)**

**SKILLS: NONE (LIMIT 3)**

**PASSIVES: NONE (LIMIT 3)**

**COMMAND SKILL (LIMIT 1)**

**Apps: NONE**

** AFFINITY: **

**PHYS-NORMAL**

**GUN-NORMAL**

**FIRE-NORMAL**

**FORCE-NORMAL**

**ICE-NORMAL**

**ELEC-NORMAL**

**BLESS-NORMAL**

**CURSE-NORMAL**

** STATS: **

**STRENGTH**

**DEXTERITY**

**MAGIC**

**VITALITY**

**AGILITY**

Nathan looked at all the menus in front of him in disbelief. “It’s like…an rpg.”

                ‘Gabriel’ said, “it’s kind of dumb if you ask me, “ with a shrug. “Still, it really reacted to you. That settles it, you’re a hero! You shouldn’t be so down on yourself. Calling yourelf normal and all that. You died trying to protect someone right? And you took the gauntlet with the burden of protecting 2 universes without thinking. The reason for that is…you’re a hero.” She said it with such certainty. “It’s time to save the universe hero. I’ll send you on your way just aft-.”

                “Wait!” Nathan shouted. “I don’t know your name yet. Your real one.”

                She looked genuinly surprised again before bursting into laughter, her good humor returning. “Hahahaha! You’re  a strange guy. I guess you can call me…Ko. And you know, you never told me your name either.”

                Now it was his turn to be surprised. “Huh. Yeah I guess your right. My name is…” he paused when she held a finger up to his lips.

                “I don’t mean the name you had. You have to enter a name into the gauntlet right? So then, what’s your name? For the new you. Try to pick a Japanese name by the way. You’ll look pretty stupid running around with an American name in Konaha. ”

                He paused and thought it over.

_“So? Are you going to take the gauntlet…hero?”_

_Before he realized it, he had already grabbed the gauntlet from her hands_

_‘Why did I…it’s just like before with that women. I acted without thinking.’_

_“you took the gauntlet with the burden of protecting 2 universes without thinking. The reason for that is…you’re a hero.”_

_“what’s your name? For the new you.”_

                “Well?” she asked. “What is it?”

                “My name is…YUUYA! YUUYA HIROSE.”

**“Username Registered: YUUYA HIROSE”**

                “…Huh? Where did you get that from?” Ko asked baffled. “And why did you yell like that all of a sudden? You freaked me out…”

                Suddenly, he felt bashful. “Well, Hirose was the only Japanese name I could think of with hero in it. Also, I started yelling because I’ve always sort of admired people who wear their heart on their sleeve and put their all into things…I guess you could say I’m trying to channel my ideal hero…or something.

                Ko looked a lot less put off then before, but now she looked kind of like she was pitying him. “Uh ‘Hirose’ only sounds like it has ‘hero’ in it.”

                “What!?” Nathan, or rather Yuuya, looked devastated. “It’s already registered though…I guess that’s my name now.”

                “Oh, wait a second!” Ko said unexpectedly. “ I never game you your mission! That was super close! I don’t know what I would have done,” she said apparently realizing she’d almost screwed up. “Listen closely you have to find all sources of demonic energy in this world. Demons will be the cause of all your future strife. Find those demons and destroy them…Demon Tamer.”

**_“QUEST ACCEPTED”_ **

**MAIN QUEST: STOP THE INVASION!**

Yuuya looked taken aback. “Demon Tamer?” He asked confused.

                “You’ll figure it out hero. That device is loaded with all kinds of info. Some stuff even I don’t know, just don’t expect to be able to access that information freely. Investigate anything that reeks of demonic hijinks okay? Good luck, Yuuya”

                _‘Hold on, when did she stop calling “kid”? And…is that respect I hear?’_

Ko smirked, “Heh. Don’t get cocky hero.”

                Yuuya smiled, “I guess I forgot you can hear my thoughts in here. I’ll do my best Ko. Thank you,” he said before he was transported by her her command.

                Ko was left in an empty void again with nothing but her thoughts. A melancholy atmoshphere seemed to take hold in Yuuya’s abscense. _‘You have no idea what’s ahead of you. The “game” starts now.’_

 

 

 

**END OF CHAPTER 1**

**Phew. That was tough. Hopefully it’s alright for my first foray into fiction. Let me know what you think! That was the first action scene I ever wrote (yes really) so let me know how it is!**

**Author’s Note: Things were left intentionally vague in certain ways. Don’t worry, I’ll explain just what demons are, where they come from, what Ko is, and just exactly what demons have to do with Naruto’s world. Yuuya may have been too quick to trust Ko, especially after the trick she pulled, but as we’ll soon find out that’s just in his nature.**

**Hope you enjoyed!**

****

 

               

               

               

                 

               

 

 

 


	2. Perspective, and a New Ally

Title: Demon Investigation & Elimination (D.I.E.)

Disclaimer: I own NOTHING from either Megami Tensei, Naruto, or The Gamer.

Author’s Note: I hope I made it clear, but a word surrounded by [], such as **[items]** , indicates that the main character can select it to access another menu. Words surrounded by {}, such as **{Sharingan},** indicate a sort of sub-menu, like a description. So, the base menu might look like the following…

**[Perks]**

**Perks: **

**{Sharingan}**

**{Rinnegan}**

Then the sub-menu for the Sharingan would be the description, type, activation cost, etc.

Author’s Note 2: I cleaned up my first chapter a little. There were some pretty bad mistakes. Maybe I should get a beta reader? Despite some…oversights, I am glad to say that I was quite pleased with the positive reception the first chapter got. Anyway, this is for all you lovely people who left reviews, favorited, and followed!

Author’s Note 3: I am probably going to just let stats fall by the wayside. I COULD be more detailed about them, but they would likely just become filler information. I will probably just say, “He is putting more points in stat x than stat y,” or something along those lines. On to…ZA STORY.

 

Chapter 2: Perspective, and a New Ally

 

                A brilliant light streaked across the night sky. It seemed it was a falling star, an unusual sight to be sure but not an altogether an unwelcome one. Instead of dissolving like most falling stars however, it simply continued traveling. Eventually, it hit the ground at an astounding speed with a thunderous “Boom!”

                Not long after, the recently reborn and now conscious Yuuya Hirose tried to stand despite a good bit of pain. His legs were shaky, and it wasn’t long before Yuuya simply collapsed. He tried to get up several more times, but to no avail. “Did I seriously fall from the sky just now? It must have done some pretty severe damage. I can’t even stand up for more than a few seconds…then again, the pain doesn’t exactly match up to what happened,” he noted with rising suspicion. “Actually, I feel more exhausted than hurt.”

                **“Yes, that is an accurate assessment of your current situation.”** A male, robotic, toneless voice rang out in his head.

                Yuuya took a panicked survey of the area. _‘Who was that?’_ He thought to himself once he realized there was no one in the immediate area. _‘Actually, it sounds familiar. Is that the voice from the void?’_

                **“Correct. I am an A.I. in your gauntlet that will serve as an informational tool among other things. We can quite easily communicate through a telepathic link I established. I trust that you will find this useful, as we will not be forced to communicate verbally.”**

 **“** I hate having my mind read.” Yuuya, having given up on standing for the time being, laid back on a tree. “An A.I., huh?” he asked with some wonderment. “No, that wasn’t a technology my world. Is the Naruto world more advanced than it is in the show? Or maybe whoever sent me here made you.”

                **“Actually, your world has developed A.I. technology quite a while before your death. This includes robots that were named as ‘anti-demon assault weapons’ by the Japanese government.”**

Yuuya leaned into the tree, baffled by what he just heard. “You mean, the Japanese government developed those kinds of weapons? They weren’t that much more advanced right? And why keep that information from everyone? They knew about demons, right?” Questions were flying out of his mouth without much thought. He really couldn’t believe it. A.I., demons, and robots. He began to wonder if he knew half as much about his world as he believed. “Also, I thought the demons came from this world. How could there be weapons made to counter demons if they didn’t even know demons existed?”

                **“You seem to be under a misconception of sorts. You seem to believe that all these strange happenings will originate from this world, however most demons originate from your world. Furthermore, you seem to be under the impression that Japan was ‘hiding’ information, however, many major countries of your world had knowledge of Demon-kind. For instance, this A.I. and gauntlet is, or was I should say, of the United States military. It was thought by many that the supernatural would lead to the world’s next great superweapon so new technology was always being created.”**

                “No way…” Yuuya clenched his fists in frustration. “I knew so little.” He continued putting the weight of his exhausted body on the tree behind him. His mind was reeling before it seemed to grind to a halt when he remembered an unfortunate earlier encounter with the extraordinary. “You wouldn’t happen to be lying…would you?” He asked almost hopefully.

                **“No. In fact, this unit is not created with the ability to lie, nor do I have a reason to do so. Though, you could say that everything I am saying now is also a lie. There is no logical way for me to convince you that I am telling the truth as I have no evidence of prior consistent honesty as I was just activated recently. I believe that you may have to ‘just trust me’ as humans like to say.”**

 **“** Humans don’t start off as liars either, you know.” He noted dryly. “Still,” he said with a smirk “I think I’ll take you up on that.”

                **“Thank you for your trust, Yuuya.”** As the A.I. said this, it seemed to be trying to project gratitude, but as usual its tone came across as flat.

                “So, all that craziness aside for now, I was wondering what you meant when you said my assessment was ‘accurate.’ Do you know why I’m so tired? And how am I not crippled after that insane fall?” He took a quick look around. “Also, aren’t these trees kind of massive? I mean maybe we’re near Konoha but still.”

                **“Ah. Well, I was quite surprised you had not noticed the changes to your person. Perhaps this partially is due to your attire.”**

“Huh?” He looked down at his clothes for the first time. He noticed, to his surprise, that he was still wearing the clothes he wore when he was killed. A pair of shoes, jeans, and a plain red shirt under a grey hoodie. Now though, they were in shambles. He could still see where the bullet went through his shirt, strangely there was no blood. Likewise, there was still rips and tears from when he fell… “WHAT THE HELL?” he yelled as he noticed the odd blue patterns on his right hand. Yuuya had never had a tattoo in his life, being quite afraid of needles. He couldn’t see his left hand, covered by the gauntlet, but he feared that it too was marred with strange tattoos. Suddenly, or maybe he had just noticed it, his gauntlet flashed green. **_“observe” has been unlocked through special actions._** Ignoring the gauntlet for now, he rolled up both sleeves. Both arms had blue patterns. “Seriously?” he asked himself. Unzipping his jacket, he pulled up his shirt and, “there too, huh?” Though, when he pulled up his pants legs, he noticed there were no such markings.

                **“I shall explain. These tattoos are, a gift from the Administrator. Upon falling to the planet, your tattoos activated. It is a [Perk]. I will now add [Perks] to your menu.”**

Yuuya went through the gauntlet’s menus, and sure enough, there **[Perks]** was listed along with several other things.

**Name: Yuuya Hirose**

**LVL 1**

**HP: 65/85**

**MP: 0/26**

**TITLE: HUMAN (NO BENEFIT)**

**[Skills]**

**[Special Skills]**

**[Status]**

**[Items]**

**[Equipment]**

**[LOCKED]**

**[LOCKED]**

**[Quests]**

**[Perks]**

**[LOCKED]**

**[System]**

                Yuuya paused before he selected anything. “Before I do anything else, I want to know who the Administrator is.”

                **“INFORMATION RESTRICTED.”**

“I thought so. There really are things you won’t tell me. Or can’t, I suppose.” He ended up choosing **[Skills]** first. “Skills.” He said uncertainly.

** SKILLS: **

**SKILLS: NONE (LIMIT 3)**

**PASSIVES: NONE (LIMIT 3)**

**COMMAND SKILL (LIMIT 1)**

                He tried to equip skills, but he didn’t have any. Similarly, he checked his **[Items]** but found he didn’t have any. _‘I’m getting off track. I need to see what these stupid tattoos are.’_

** PERKS: **

**_Would you like an explanation of [Perks]? (Yes/No)_ **

“Yes.”

**_[Perks] are rare, semi-permanent changes to your person that effect your abilities in drastic ways. That is to say, they are very difficult to obtain and can only sometimes be removed. They come in all shapes and sizes, and many levels of utility going from “Impairing” to “Legendary.” It is not unusual for a [Perk] to evolve from a lower to tier of utility to a higher tier, or even to devolve from a higher tier to a lower one. Some [Perks] are even more harmful than helpful, starting at “Impairing” and slowly becoming worse! These are referred to as “Negative Perks.” Please, Avoid these at all cost. An example of a [Perk] would be the Sharingan. This is a rare case of a [Perk] you can both be born with and obtain yourself. It can go from “uncommon,” to “rare,” to “Legendary.” Notably, it can also fall to “impaired.” Now, here is a list of qualities from worst to best. They do not apply only to Perks._ **

**_Impairing: This Perk is hurting more than it is helping._ **

**_Double-edged: Not necessarily bad, in fact some of the best abilities fall into this category. This simply means that an ability has as much or almost as much cost as it does benefit._ **

**_Common: Nothing special._ **

**_Rare: A Perk that is hard to obtain. It has helpful abilities, but not overly so._ **

**_Exceptional:_ **

**_Epic: This Perk is almost unheard of for people to possess, and it has amazing qualities._ **

**_Legendary: Truly, only the best can wield such power. These Perks are what put you on another level from normal Shinobi._ **

**_Godly: Not a power that any human should possess._ **

**** _‘That was…comprehensive. I guess it’s time to see what happened then.’_

** PERKS: **

**{Demon Matrix}**

**_“{Demon Matrix}” selected._ **

***Activation Perk***

**Cost: 10 MP**

**Demon Matrix (Rare): _Your body is covered in a complicated sealing matrix of demonic design. Due to its demonic nature, it is unlikely for a human to think it anything but a tattoo. Demons might realize something is strange about them, but it would take a truly exceptional demon to figure out exactly what it is. There is no sentient being in these tattoos, but instead a strange power._**

**_Current Effects: For a 10 MP cost, take greatly reduced fall damage. When active, fall damage is reduced to 0 for up to 100 points of damage. Afterword, 3 Mp is removed in place of health for every 60 damage taken. If a case arises where you do not have the MP required, for every 1 MP left the damage will be lessened by 20 points of damage. Strengthens you against enemy attacks, but only when falling. (When activated mid-fall you are wrapped in a brilliant light that protects you from danger.) Activates Passively when unconscious and falling._ **

                _‘I guess that explains why I’m so exhausted,’_ he supposed. This “Demon Matrix” only sounded somewhat useful, or at best highly situational. _‘It did say that perks can “evolve” though. Maybe it’ll be more useful if I develop it somehow.’_ He was ready to fall asleep right there, but he wanted to try opening **[Equipment]** , **[Special Skills]** and **[System]** first. He started with [ **Equipment].**

**Equipment :**

**[MELEE WEAPON]: None**

**[RANGED WEAPON]: None**

**[ARMOR]: [Tattered, Otherworldly Clothing]**

**ACCESSORY: None**

**_“[Tattered, Otherworldly Clothing]” selected._ **

***Wearable Item***

**Tattered, Otherworldly Clothing (common): _Ripped and stretched. This once acceptable outfit has been damaged irreparably. Someone was kind enough to remove the blood, so now you look more like a vagrant than a thug or a victim._**

**_Current Effects: None. It may not go over well socially._ **

_‘Is it just me, or is this thing mocking me?’_ Yuuya doubted, pouting to himself.

                **“I assure you that all perceived mockery is just your imagination,”** the A.I. said catching Yuuya off guard.

                “I kind of forgot about ya’ for a second there, buddy. Uh, can you, you know, not read my thoughts? It’s kind of uncomfortable,” Yuuya whispered embarrassed at his own insecurity.

                **“That is not recommended. At any time, you may disable our mental communication. Yet, you cannot do so without disabling all communication. This early in ‘the game’ a lack of information might be lethal. You may disable our communication with the ‘Voice’ setting in the ‘System’ menu”**

                _‘Hm. I guess that would be a bad idea.’_ He thought morosely.

**_“[System]” has been selected._ **

**System :**

**Voice: (On/Off)**

**{Apps}**

_“ **{Apps}” selected.**_

_None currently obtained. Apps are upgrades to your gauntlet._

_Available AP (App Points): 0_

**“Please take note, you have received a melee weapon. Please equip it in the menu to observe how inventory works.”**

_‘Really? Well, I won’t say no to a free weapon right now. To be honest, I wasn’t expecting to start out with almost no stuff.’_

**“[Equipment]” selected.**

**“[MELEE WEAPON]” selected.**

**MELEE WEAPONS :**

**{Basic Katana}**

**“{Basic Katana}” selected.**

***Ordinary Weapon***

**Cost: None**

**Basic Katana (Common) (Damaged): This was once a proud blade. Present day, it sits damaged in its sheath. You might get 1 or 2 battles out of this before it breaks completely…**

**Current Effects: Base Attack +20, but it can only be used so many times before it finally breaks.**

                _‘Alright then. I wanna try some things. Open weapon inventory.’_ As he sent this mental command, the gauntlet did exactly as it was instructed. ‘This sure beats cycling through menus. Then, how about…equip Basic Katana!’ Almost instantly, a flash of light appeared, and the katana fell into his lap. ‘Whoa! I must have some sort of weird pocket dimension or something.’ Feeling exhausted still, Yuuya thought it was strange that he didn’t feel really any less tired than before. He felt as though he had been lying there for about an hour after all. Didn’t he have any MP recovery?

                “Status,” he said tiredly.

**YUUYA HIROSE**

**LVL 1**

**HP: 65/85 (Health Points)**

**MP: 5/26 (Magic Points)**

**TITLE: HUMAN (NO BENEFIT)**

**SKILLS: NONE (LIMIT 3)**

**PASSIVES: NONE (LIMIT 3)**

**COMMAND SKILL (LIMIT 1)**

**Apps: NONE**

** AFFINITY: **

**PHYS-NORMAL**

**GUN-NORMAL**

**FIRE-NORMAL**

**FORCE-NORMAL**

**ICE-NORMAL**

**ELEC-NORMAL**

**BLESS-NORMAL**

**CURSE-NORMAL**

**‘** _Ah man.’_ Fatigue was finally catching up to him as he barely had his eyes open. ‘I guess it doesn’t matter if I sleep for a while…’ he thought before finally succumbing to sleep in an unknown forest clearing, In an unknown land.

 

**Author’s Note:**

**Phew! Another chapter done! Unfortunately, this chapter was mostly exposition combined with Yuuya figuring out the gauntlet. Do not worry! Next chapter will be much more exciting. This was originally the first half of one chapter, but I ended up reworking a lot of things, so I decided to make this one a separate chapter. Thanks for reading!**


	3. Do You Wish to Live?

**“WARNING! Unknown presence detected. WARNING! Unknown “-** The voice gave pause- **“Yuuya-san are you awake?”**

Yuuya scrambled to his feet. “What’s going on, is it an enemy!?”

                **_Yuuya and his party have recovered._**

**HP: 85/85**

**MP: 26/26**

                “ **Unknown, yet danger is a very real possibility. You may have noticed that I addressed you as ‘Yuuya-san.’ I have taken the liberty of installing a free upgrade ‘demonlingual’ that will translate most known languages, human or otherwise. This will do the same for any sapient or semi-sapient creature nearby.”**

“I…hadn’t even thought of that. Thanks again, pal,” he said with gratitude.

                **“No appreciation is required. But I should warn you, a possible enemy is now very near. It does not seem to be demonic in nature but please exercise caution.”**

“Alright my A.I. friend, don’t you have anything that’ll help me? How about another app or something?”

                **“No, not without appropriate upgrades. Currently, I cannot so much as approximate enemy numbers.”**

“Nobodies perfect. I’ll get us out of this one way or another.”

Yuuya picked up his sword and strapped it to his back as he began to hear footsteps closing in.

                “Hmm, it fell round’ here someplace, I think,” said a man with an accent and a collection of scars on his face as he exited nearby foliage. His brown hair was slicked back, and he had a menacing glare. Noticing him for the first time, the man swiftly grabbed the sword at his side, not yet pulling it from the sheathe. “The hell are you ere’ for?” he asked with distrust in his eyes, before the lack of trust bled out of his eyes and was replaced with aggression. “Oh, I get it. You’re here for our treasure, eh?”

                “No!” Yuuya tried to reassure him emphasizing his words with hand gestures. “I guarantee that I’ve never even heard of whatever treasure you are talking about! I come from…somewhere really far away and remote.”

                “So, your innocent self just happened to be here, eh? Bullshit. We heard about this rock first, understand?” he began circling Yuuya. “You’re screwing with the wrong people, my man. Let me share some wisdom. I’m a part of the Forest Bandits. Shittin’ yourself yet? I’ve got a dozen buddies trailing behind me and you don’t look like the fighting type.”

                “Look, I’ll just leave, alright? There’s really no need to get wrapped up in a battle for no gain. Look at me. I don’t have a penny and even the stuff I’m carrying is worthless.” His stomach clenched, his emotions getting to him. “I don’t have a ‘treasure’ or anything. You can even search me if you want.”

                Yuuya’s words were having an effect. The man’s eyes foused on his face the whole time trying to discern the truth. He seemed to believe what Yuuya said and he appeared to relax, even looking somewhat friendly. His eyes shone with a renewed interest. “Hey so, what about that metal thing on your hand? Is it armor or something?”

He stopped walking abruptly and scowled. “You wait right there,” he said before his eyes traced the destroyed earth where Yuuya had fallen. “Bastard! You already took whatever was there. I’ll make you tell me where it is if I have to.”

                _‘Well, there goes any chance of me just walking away,’_ he thought before he dramatically grabbed the sword strapped to his back and began pulling up slowly…and pulling and pulling. _‘It’s too damn long!’_ Soon enough, he got to the point where he was bending his back trying to pull the end of the sword out. _‘Damn it! Screw this!’_ He unstrapped the sheathe and removed the sword before dropping the sheathe to the ground.

                Luckily, the bandit was so dumbfounded that he hadn’t even moved an inch. “You CAN’T be serious. Have you ever even used a sword?” The bandit questioned rhetorically before smirking and unsheathing his own weapon. “This’ll be a cakewalk. It’s common curtesy for a man to give his name before fighting dontcha’ think?”

                “Yuuya,” he said with gravity. “My name is Yuuya Hirose! I may have never fought with a sword before, but I can’t lose here! The whole world is counting on me!” He shouted, mostly to reassure himself. ‘I probably shouldn’t mention that the breadth of my combat experience is one fistfight.’

                “You don’t say,” he said with heavy sarcasm. “I’m Ren, second in command of the Forrest Bandits.” Ren was shaking his head. “Come on then, Hero-sama,”

**_Main Quest added. “Survive your first battle.”_ **

**_Things look grim. Against a superior enemy, your only hope is survival. If you defeat this one enemy, then perhaps you can escape before help arrives._ **

**_Enemy: Ren_ **

**_Lvl: 5_ **

**_Attributes: Unknown_ **

                ‘ _I’ve never so much as held a sword before. This guy might be just some bandit, but he’s out of my league anyway. If my only chance here is to win before his pals get here, then…!’_ He held his katana in his hands and charged forward letting out a battle cry, “Hahhhh!”

                His katana vibrated in his hands when their swords crossed. To Yuuya’s surprise, the man grabbed his arm with his left hand and pulled his arms with great strength to the side. He then smashed his face with the pommel of his sword. A great deal of pain flooded his senses as Ren pushed him to the ground.

**-22 HP**

**HP: 63/85**

_‘What the hell!’_

                “Surprised? Did you think this was an action movie, where we cross blades dramatically and separate?” he asked pointing the tip of his blade in his direction.

                Before Yuuya stood back up he swiped a rock off the ground and slipped it into his pocket subtly. ‘Hope he didn’t notice. I need every advantage I can get.’

He tried to attack again, swinging at his left side. Ren parried his attack and, looking unworried, began an aggressive attack; swinging his blade in a long, powerful arc that Yuuya narrowly avoided. Ren started pressing his attack, swinging in quick succession in a way that Yuuya wasn’t prepared to manage. His eyes following the blade’s fast strokes and his body tried its best to avoid them.

                Yuuya threw a thrust forward to get Ren to back off a bit and began quickly backstepping to gain distance. His hands were sweaty, and he was already breathing somewhat heavily. ‘Our little bout was quick but I’m already tired. My stamina is terrible compared to his. Shit.’ He started to realize that he needed a plan if he was going to win a fight like this.

                His opponent tilted his sword slightly in preparation for another assault before Yuuya shouted the first thing that came to mind, “Timeout!”

                “Seriously?” Ren looked disappointed. “I mean, I guess I’m just buying time, but you thought that I would just let you come up with a plan? Well, it doesn’t even matter really. You’re just a novice.”

                Yuuya gripped his sword even tighter, but then he realized something. “Ha! I’m a quick thinker I’ll have you know. You shouldn’t have given me any-” Ren swiftly swung and grazed Yuuya’s chest.

**_Dodged: Grazed_ **

**_-9HP_ **

**_HP: 54/85_ **

“I suppose so. Sorry bout’ that. Rookie mistake.” As he said this, Ren’s face grew more serious than it had been throughout the battle. _‘He might be a kid, but this battle’s over. I’m done playing.’_

                He held his new cut with a grimace, ‘ _Something tells me he isn’t going to let me stall again.’_ He took a deep breath before tentatively stepping towards Ren and holding his katana in his right hand only. When Ren made a motion in his direction, he cautiously stepped back. ‘ _Alright, he’s pretty far away so it should take a few seconds to reach him,’_ Yuuya thought beginning to feel his worries weigh down on him.  ‘ _I really hope this works! I can’t hesitate!’_

                In a move that surprised Ren slightly, Yuuya dropped into a defensive sword stance and waited for him to make the first move. ‘ _Since when does he play it safe?’_ Ren thought skeptically. _‘Tch, okay then.’_ He readied his blade to finish the fight. He moved forward slowly and watchfully.

Then, Yuuya did something he never would have expected; he threw his katana at him with all his might! Ren avoided it with no trouble although he couldn’t help but follow its path in bewilderment. ‘ _Is this some bizarre way to surrender!?’_ The katana flew past him and dug into the dirt far behind him.

                ‘ _This isn’t exactly fair, but I’m desperate!’_ While Ren had his back turned, he pulled out the rock in his pocket and put all his power into throwing it at Ren’s exposed head. ‘Please hit!’ he thought as he dashed forward.

                Before Ren was fully facing him again- **_CRITICAL! 11 damage!_** -the rock collided with his head with a “Thud!”

                “Bastard! Shit that hurt!” Ren shouted before realizing how close Yuuya had gotten. He swung the sword in his hand at Yuuya’s left side. Yuuya, hoping for this exact situation, raised his left arm as if to stop the sword with it, “Clang!” The sound of metal striking metal rung out as sparks flew and Ren’s strike was redirected by Yuuya’s arm. ‘ _No, I forgot about his glove! It runs up his arm too!?’_

Yuuya landed a powerful punch on Ren’s head – **_17 Damage!_** _–_ and while he was dazed, another punch was landed by the hand with the gauntlet- **_CRITICAL! 30 Damage! –_** but before Yuuya could land another blow, Ren swung his sword wildly, forcing him to back off as Ren gained distance.

                Ren swayed a bit before steadying himself, looking extremely angry. He had to calm himself down but once he did an expression akin to respect was what showed. “That was ballsy, I WILL give you that.” He looked almost regretful. “But you threw your blade, and if I’m honest? I think that little combo was your last shot at winning.”

**_Pushing yourself too hard, your focus begins to waver. (MP abilities now cost 1.5 times more)._ **

Breathing heavily Yuuya asked one question through his thoughts, ‘Hey, uh…I guess you don’t have a name? How much health does he have left?’

                **“You would need a [Special Skill] to assess such a thing. Although, I can conclude that he is most likely above half health.”**

                Yuuya felt sweat drip down his face, partially due to his exhaustion and also due to his anxiety. “I’ll be honest. You got it in one.” He was so disappointed in himself. “Man, I knew this was a long shot, but I didn’t think I would fail at the first hurdle. I came here to be a hero, but I’m no one special. Still, I’ll keep fighting until the end.”

                Ren gave silence for a long while. “You came here…to be a hero?” He scratched the back of his head before sighing, “Look uh, just tell me where the stupid rock is, and I’ll let you go alright? Even if you need it to be a hero or whatever…we need it too, yeah? You never gave in during a hopeless situation, and it’s…admirable. I promise I won’t attack you anymore.”

**_Congratulations! You have completed your very first quest!_ **

**_“Survive your first battle.” Quest Completed_ **

**_+100 Exp_ **

**_LVL UP! +2_ **

**_+10 max HP_ **

**_+4 max MP_ **

**_You can now ~~Information restriction~~ up to level 3!_ **

**_[Items] received: 2 bufu stones, 1 agi stone, 2 medicines, soul drop_ **

****

_‘Status’_

**YUUYA HIROSE**

**LVL 3**

**HP: 64/95**

**MP: 30/30**

**TITLE: HUMAN (NO BENEFIT)**

**SKILLS: NONE (LIMIT 3)**

**PASSIVES: NONE (LIMIT 3)**

**COMMAND SKILL (LIMIT 1)**

**Apps: NONE**

** AFFINITY: **

**PHYS-NORMAL**

**GUN-NORMAL**

**FIRE-NORMAL**

**FORCE-NORMAL**

**ICE-NORMAL**

**ELEC-NORMAL**

**BLESS-NORMAL**

**CURSE-NORMAL**

**_Important: Once you are in a safe place, please open your status menu again for more options_ **

****

****

****

                Yuuya was shocked by this turn of events. _‘Just like that, I leveled up. I was expecting to feel stronger or something. And more importantly, is this guy trying to let me go? Maybe he’s not as bad as I thought…’_ But then, he realized something and was struck with a bout of frustration, “Hold on, like I was trying to say this whole time, I don’t know what you’re talking about!”

                He stopped to consider his words for a moment, but then pointed at Yuuya in disbelief, “There ain’t no way in hell you just happened to be right next to a crater, right where the meteor was supposed to land!” He waved his finger emphatically, “And I guess the rock mysteriously sprouted legs and ran off?”

                Yuuya finally put two and two together before flashing a smile, “You’re half-right!”

                Ren looked at him like he was stupid, “About the legs or running off? Come on kid. With this and the whole ‘timeout’ thing I’m starting to think I got decked by a complete moron. It’s bad for my self-esteem.”

                Slightly offended he responded, “You don’t understand! The treasure really does have legs! I AM the treasure. I fell from the sky covered in light, so I must have looked like a meteorite!” A slight pause before he wondered aloud, “Then again, it just happened. I only fell out of the sky yesterday. How did you get here so fast? And, what’s with all this ‘treasure’ talk? I mean, meteorites CAN be valuable but-”

                He was cut off when Ren raised his hand. “That’s enough. To start with, me and bro got the info about this stupid thing before yesterday. And besides, you really expect me to believe that nonsense about you falling from the sky? I’m tryin’ to help your dumbass! Look, jus- “

                He looked quickly off into the greenery at an alarming sound. Branches were being crushed, the telltale sign of incoming people. Yuuya measured the distance between himself and his Katana and determined that it would take him only a few seconds to reach it. He turned back to Ren, “I guess your friends are here.”

                To Yuuya’s surprise though, Ren’s face was more worried than pleased. He sighed, “This…is gonna’ be a pain in the ass.”

                A massive man, easily 7ft tall, emerged into view with only a handful of people following him. 8 to 10 people at most. It was obvious that the tall man, that was bald and had 3 large scars running down his face, was the absolute leader of the group. He was holding one arm behind his back, and he stood with an air of danger around him.

                Ren stared at him unabated, “Aniki…”

                The tall man stood still, eyes seeming to bore into them both. “Ren…you disobeyed me. I told you not to come here.” His voice was exactly what you would expect from his appearance; deep and intimidating. His gaze focused on Yuuya, “Strange clothing and even more strange tattoos. Where are you from exactly?”

                “Well, I’m from…a really far away place. You’ve never heard of it.”

                To his disbelief, the man seemed to accept his half-assed explanation, “In the Elemental Nations, it is considered very disrespectful to not introduce oneself. I am Akira.”

                “Oh! Uh, I’m Yuuya.”

                Ren looked a bit hesitant, but he felt he had to tell Akira what had happened. “Aniki, this guy took our treasure. I promised I wouldn’t fight him anymore but, if we just explain why we need the treasure I’m sure he’ll understand!”

                Akira’s expression became like stone, “Ren…this is exactly why you should not be here. You are too soft to do what we must do.” His arm moved back to its normal position at his side, revealing what was behind his back.

                Straightaway, Yuuya’s mind was racing.  The thing he was holding was, _‘A gun!?’_ It was a flintlock pistol. So many thoughts were going through his head, _‘Why are there guns in this world!? I mean, it’s black powder but still! No, more importantly right now, I bet this means my assumption was correct.’_ Thinking was all he could do to not start hyperventilating, _‘Just how many of my assumptions about this world are wrong…?’_

                Ren took Yuuya’s silence and paling face the wrong way, “Aniki, you’re scarin’ the guy. Just trust me, Aniki. We don’t need to fight him for that dumb rock.” Ren’s defense of him snapped Yuuya out of his reverie for the time being.

                Akira’s mask of stoicism slipped for a moment, but he quickly schooled his features. “You don’t understand at all. I was trying to keep you away from this dirty business. The treasure is close at hand at last.” He aimed the pistol at Yuuya’s head.

                Ren looked shocked but Yuuya was perfectly aware of what was happening. He took a measured breath before looking right at Akira, “I’d say I was right then. I’m the ‘treasure,’ he stated with no uncertainty.

                “Hmm. I’m surprised you figured it out. If I kill you then I will have any wish granted. That was the guarantee.”

                “Huh!?” Ren looked completely betrayed, “We don’t do hits remember!? You promised we would never stoop to that bastard’s level!”

`               Yuuya was only wondering one thing now, “Who…who made that ‘guarantee.’ Was it a demon?”

                Akira looked confused until he simply said, “I have no reason to answer you.” Promptly, he pulled the trigger and an ear-piercing bang rang out.

                Time seemed to slow to a crawl, _‘No way. I thought that I might be able to talk my way out somehow. This is too much! I don’t want to die the same damn way! No, this is worse! I’m not even going to die protecting anyone.’’_

 _**“Yuuya-san.”**_ He was astonished at how much calmer he felt hearing that toneless voice again. “ **You have met all the standards that were set. Please answer the following question with total honesty. Do you wish to live?”**

**‘** _Is this a joke? Of course, I want to live! I died and chose this crazy mission instead of dying peacefully. I did that because everything I cared about was in jeopardy, and because…I want to keep living. More than anything.’_

**“Very well. Your will to live has been confirmed.”**

                Time resumed as a vivid blue light blanketed the area in front of him. It caused him to flinch away and he soon realized he felt no pain. He had not been shot.  
  
  


**End of Chapter 3!**

**Author’s Note: How exciting! Cliffhangers suck, huh? It’s good Yuuya didn’t die obviously, but is the blue light good news or bad news? All you MegaTen gamers probably know already.  Next chapter will be just as actiony! Once again, this was only part of another chapter, but my chapters are too friggin long! Besides, I’ve gotta keep my 10 fans happy lol. I’ve decided to change my title and summary because I feel like they might have been turning people off. Especially the title. Sure, it would make sense later, but it was just too long. Hopefully this’ll get some more attention so I can get more delicious reviews. Hope you enjoyed!**

               

**P.S., if you’re wondering, Chapter 2 will probably be my shortest chapter**


	4. Allies by Circumstance

Title: Demon Investigator

Disclaimer: I own NOTHING from either Megami Tensei, Naruto, or The Gamer.

 

Author’s Note: I fixed a pretty big mistake I made last Chapter where I said he had 9 MP left in case you didn’t catch the change. He has 30/30 because he recovered in chapter 2. On to…a story. Just a story.

 

Chapter 4: Allies by Circumstance

 

 

 

Everyone fell into a dead silence. No one was moving a muscle. Yuuya was most likely the least shocked out of everyone, having seen a similar sight very recently. Indeed, he was much more afraid than surprised. _‘It’s a demon…!’_ At least, he thought it was. This demon was very different from the bulky green monster in his vision.

                A strange figure had emerged from the blue light. A floating pumpkin head with a blue cape, a wizard hat, and no body. One gloved hand reached out from beneath the cape to hold a lantern. It had eyes that glowed bright red. Bizarrely, it had a bullet hole in its head, but it did not seem to be very injured.

                “Is this…a ninjustsu? Hey boss, I don’t think we should be messing with this guy.” One of Akira’s underlings said worriedly.

                “That rea-hee-lly hurt, ho!” the creature said in a boyish, surprisingly childish voice. “I’m not putting up with you, ho!”

                Despite its jovial tone and child-like mannerisms, the creature’s next move was rather cruel. The lantern it was holding opened, and a massive flame rocketed out of it at a terrifying speed. Akira barely had time to understand what was happening before the flame engulfed his entire body and he screamed in agony.

                “Boss!” one of Akira’s men screamed in horror.

                “Help me put him out!” another shouted as he attempted to put out the flames with his own shirt. The flames had diminished on their own almost as fast as they appeared, but Akira was already dead.

                Yuuya stood there not knowing how to react. _‘So, it can control fire that easily. What am I supposed to do? I don’t have skills or anything useful enough to put up a real fight. Hold on…’_ He had forgotten because of the craziness but he had received items. ‘ _What do they do?’_ He was about to look when his thoughts were interrupted by a “whoosh!” sound and more screaming took place.

                3 more men were killed by the pumpkin-shaped monster’s hand in what seemed like an instant, and now, everyone was running away screaming things like “Monster!” and “Demon!”

                “Hee-ho, I thought those losers would never leave!”

                Beginning to panic, Yuuya turned to his only remaining potential ally. But Ren stood shell-shocked, staring at one spot, looking as though he didn’t fully process what had happened. “Aniki…? No way…what the hell is going on?”

His spoken words grabbed the attention of the demon and it turned around. “There was one over there too, ho? Whatever, you’re just spacing out anyway. It was now staring directly at Yuuya for the first time. “So, you summoned me, right?”

                Yuuya’s muscles relaxed, _‘So he’s my demon, right? Ko did say I was a “Demon Tamer.”_ He stood up straight, “Yeah, that’s right.”

                “I thought so! Hee-ho, you’re scrawny, huh?”

                _‘Geez, that was uncalled for! Anyway, I know it might be a bit strange, but I don’t want Ren to get hurt. Especially after he went out of his way to stick up for me before. I should find a way to mediate the situation. I summoned it so maybe I can unsummon it.’_

                “I’m only gonna’ kill you mister demon summoner! So that other guy can buzz off if he wants.”

                “Excuse me!? I summoned you right? Shouldn’t you do what I say!? I mean, it was an accident, but come on!”

“Hee-ho! You’re annoying! It’s not like we have a contract or anything. I don’t have to do squat for you! And, if I kill you, I’m hee-ome free. Just thinking about it is getting me fired up!”

                Ren snapped his attention to Yuuya. “You…summoned…? Summoned what? Can you really understand that thing?” Ren began staring off again, looking completely lost.

                “Huh? Well, of course I can.” Yuuya began to wonder something, ‘ _Hey A.I., is this thing being translated by my gauntlet? Am I the only one that understands it?’_

                **_“No. This demon does not require the ‘Demonlingual’ skill to understand. They are unable to observe it. On that note, the ’Demon Summoning Program’ is now active. The resulting effect ‘adjustment’ will be applied to you and any humans in the battle area.”_**

“Are you ignoring me!?” Enraged, the demon opened his lantern and shot fire directly at Yuuya.

                _‘I’m not fast enough t- ‘_

Yuuya was engulfed in flame. He screamed in pain before the flames ceased, just as they had with Akira.

**-37 HP**

**HP: 27/95**

‘I…didn’t die!? And, why do I feel like I can still fight? I should have insane burns.’

                Ren, having snapped out of his reverie, was staring in disbelief, “You’re alive? B-but, how though?” He grits his teeth in frustration. ‘ _So, this pumpkin-headed asshole is the one that killed Aniki, huh? How the hell did he summon something so bizarre? And, he could barely trade blows with me a while ago. Now, he just tanked a fire blast.’_

                The demon seemed just as surprised as anyone at Yuuya’s survival, “What…? I thought humans were squishy, ho!”

                Yuuya did the last thing the demon expected; He ran forward and rammed his shoulder into the demon before pushing it to the ground. **2 damage!**

 He hurriedly grabbed his katana off the ground and started running. He grabbed Ren’s arm while running, pulling him along. “Ren come on! We can’t fight it separately.”

                Ren yanked his arm away and started running along side him. “As long as you’re gonna’ kill that damn thing, I’m with ya’.”

                **_Ren has joined your party!_**

                But while they were getting away, the demon had already recovered and sent another ball of fire, this time at Ren. The small ball of flame hit Ren in the back causing him to stumble forward **-Critical!  -40 HP! –** but, he refused to topple over. Pain clouded his entire expression. “I’m not toppling over before I take this thing down.

                **HP: 22/120**

                _‘I can see his health now, because he’s in my “party” I guess. He’s in even worse shape than I am.’_ Yuuya began to doubt that he could get them both out of this. _‘That thing attacks either of us again and we’re finished,’_ he thought grimly. “There’s no choice I’ve got to try! Come on!” He supported Ren on his shoulder as he attempted to get them both away from the demon alive.

                “It’d be a lot smarter to leave me behind, stupid. Are you trying to die…?”

                “I want to live!” he shouted. “And I also, want you to live!”

                Ren stared off in wide-eyed disbelief before cracking a smile, “I knew it. You’re an idiot.” They were making it to the edge of the clearing more quickly than they expected, but it was an inevitability that the demon would finish one of them off with his next attack. Or so Ren thought.

                The whole time, Yuuya had been combing through his items desperately trying to find something useful for an escape. At once, an idea hit him. “agi stones” were stones that contained “weak fire magic.” “Bufu stones” contained “weak ice magic.” They explicitly state that they inflict damage on a target so they’re not enchantments or anything; They’re weapons. _‘If this enemy uses fire-based magic, then…’_

                Yuuya halted their retreat and turned to face his enemy.

                The demon was studying them curiously, “Ho? I thought the way you were running was kind of funny, but now you’re just giving up. Oh well.” The demon lifted his lantern in preparation for the finishing blow.

                Ren was confused, but he recalled the last time Yuuya did something inexplicable. _‘Do you have a crazy plan again?’_

“Bufu stone!” he shouted, producing a small white stone seemingly out of nowhere. He lobbed the stone at the demon, hoping to God that this was the right way to use the item. The second it hit the demon, a body-sized slab of sharp ice shout out of the stone and pierced the pumpkin-head.

                **WEAK!**

**55 Damage!**

_‘Yes! I was right about its weakness!’_ The demon hit the ground dizzily, and likely wouldn’t pursue them for at least a few seconds. ‘ _And for good measure!’_

 _“Agi stone!”_ He used the red stone by throwing it right at the ground in front of him, causing a fiery explosion that kicked up a good deal of dust and debris. “Hehe, this is my smokescreen retreat!”

                He pulled a flabbergasted Ren along as he continued their escape. After 20 minutes or so, they stopped and sat atop a fallen tree. Yuuya pulled out his only 2 medicines. “I would have used these earlier, but honestly I wasn’t sure how. That stone was a gamble too, but if it didn’t work, I still had another one. I needed both of these.”

                Ren couldn’t take it anymore. “What the hell is going on? What’d you throw? You a shinobi?”

                “Right, sorry. I guess I owe you some explaining. I’m not clear on the details myself, but I’m pretty certain that thing is a demon. And no, I’m not a shinobi; I’m a guy who deals with demons, I guess.”

                “Are you creating work for yourself or somethin’? Why the hell did you summon that thing!?”

                ‘ _Actually, hey A.I. Is this whole song and dance going to happen every time I summon a demon?’_

 _**“No. You must contract at least 1 demon before you are an official summoner.**_ **_This is achieved by defeating the first demon you summon. After this, you will have complete control over your summoning.”_**

“It’s a one-time-deal. It was summoned without my willing it because my life was in danger. Now though, well it’ll never happen again.” Yuuya scratched the back of head, “Look, just take this medicine. I think you need to drink it.”

                Ren took the medicine, while making a face, “’You think’? What the hell.” He drank it in one go. “Kami that’s disgusting!” But miraculously, his wounds started to vanish, his cuts were closing, and his burns were lessening.  **50 HP healed**

Yuuya had gulped his down to the same effect. **50 HP healed**

**YUUYA HIROSE**

**LVL 3**

**HP: 77/95**

**MP: 30/30**

**Ren**

**LVL 5**

**HP: 72/120**

**MP: 20/20**

_‘So, I can really see his status too huh? “Party.” This really is set up like a game. I wonder if it’s because they knew how much I liked games, or if it’s just a coincidence. No, this isn’t the time for questions. More than anything, I need a solid plan.’_

Ren sighed exacerbated, “Look, I don’t know what’s goin’ on, but you at least seem to know more than I do. For now, I’ll do whatever you say.”

Ren continued to surprise him. They had gotten off to…a less than stellar start. But he defended him against Akira, and currently, Ren was deferring to his experience in the situation, even after he had inadvertently caused it. “Ren…just give me a few minutes and I’m sure your trust in me will pay off. I’ll think of something just you watch.”

                For a solid 10 minutes, Yuuya paced with one finger on his forehead, trying to think of any way out of this situation. He mumbled thoughts like, “No, wouldn’t work” and “Definitely not” from time to time. He kept stopping to look in the same direction, the direction they came from.

                After a few more minutes, he stopped pacing, a light shined in his eye, and without looking at Ren he asked, “Do you…happen to know anything about the local geography? Specifically, about any nearby rivers?”

                “You don’t think…? Well, I do. I studied a map before I came here, but the maps still in my room at the inn.” It was his turn to think. “Um, if I remember where we were when I entered the clearing and where we were when we both left it…I guess there should be a cliff around here with a river. It leads right to the village I was staying at. It’s not far from here either.”

                “That’ll work. We must wait for that demon to come here. When it does, we’ll run as fast as we can to that cliff. We don’t know how fast it is and judging by how it floats around without a body, it probably flies. It will probably be difficult to say the least.”

                “But if it flies, then how do we send it down to the water in the first place…?”

                “Don’t worry. I’ll handle that part. Still I am kind of surprised you figured it out so fast.”

                “Yeah, well that thing didn’t react so well to ice, so it can’t manage water either. That’s what you’re thinkin’ right?” He let out a weak chuckle, “Despite my appearance, I’m pretty smart sometimes.”

                “I’ll take some time to outline a plan for us. Let’s try our best!”

 

 

                For a few uneasy minutes, they waited for the slightest glimpse of orange; Tense and ready to flee. Eventually, they saw the demon flying towards them and started sprinting in the direction of the cliff. “Stop running, ho! I’m getting tired of this.” Despite its earlier speed, the demon was not chasing them in a speed that guaranteed it would catch up. It seemed to be feeling the effects of the earlier ice attack. It still had shards of ice sticking out from its head.

                Soon enough, they cleared the forest and found the cliff. Panting in exhaustion, they tried their best to quickly recover.

                **“Please note, shortly, you will reach your limit. Doing anything afterwards will be extremely difficult.”**

They had not gained much distance, so the demon arrived in little time. “Hee-ho! You nuisance. I’ll cook you!”

                Before it could raise its lantern, Ren ran forward and began grappling with it. He did his best to hold it still while holding its arm, stopping it from shooting flames. “Do it now!”

                “Bufu stone!” he said as he threw his last effective weapon. **_WEAK! 57 damage_**

Ice formed where the stone struck the demon’s body. Nearly instantaneously, ice shot out in every direction. **Grazed:** **-21 HP!**

**Ren**

**LVL 5**

**HP: 51/120**

**MP: 20/20**

The demon swayed side to side slightly, being held mostly steady by Ren’s grasp. “GO!”

                Yuuya charged with Ren’s sword pointing at the demon. The blade dug into the demon deeply and it let out a cry of pain. **67 damage.** The demon was covered in a blue light as Yuuya continued pushing forward to the cliff. “Wait! I get it okay, ho? No more. You win. I can’t believe I lost to humans…” The demon vanished in a flash of blue light.

                **_Forged a contract with the Demon “Pyro Jack”_**

**_Title unlocked!  
                Special skills unlocked!_ **

**_[Skills Unlocked!]_ **

**_[Cathedral of Shadows unlocked!]_ **

**_[Demon Market Unlocked!]_ **

**_LVL Up!_ **

**_+5 Max HP_ **

**_+2 max MP_ **

**_+1,000 macca_ **

**_[Items] received: 1 agi stone, 3 medicines_ **

**_Important: Once you are in a safe place, please open your status menu again for more options_ **

‘Is it…really over? Just like that?’ Yuuya laughed quietly, “I thought this battle was going to be harder fought somehow. I almost feel let down. It ended before my whole strategy unfolded.” He was going to pull out a medicine for Ren, but realized he had no way of explaining it. _‘It might look like I was hoarding them for myself or something.’_ Instead, he asked where the village he came from was.

                “You don’t know then? Well, I’ll take you to it. You can even use my room; I won’t be needing it now. I have to go somewhere…I have to figure out where to go next and what to do.” He looked uncomfortable for a moment but decided to say, “I know you probably don’t want to hear this, and specially not from me, but you should go and finish your schooling. You sound pretty smart, so I bet you’ve had some schooling, right?”

                Yuuya grew more and more confused, “I already graduated man. Look at how old I am.”

                “Y-You don’t mean…you’re a rogue ninja that graduated academy!?” His face lost its surprise, “Oh wait. You suck at fighting that can’t be it.”

                “I do not! Anyway, I’m like 20 years old.”

                “No way. I can judge age pretty well and your no older than 15!”

                **“Actually…I did not find it pertinent to say due to the recent situations, but he is correct. You are 15 years old currently. It was determined that your mission would be easier if you were closer to Naruto Uzumaki’s age.”**

_‘Who the hell made that decision!?’_

**“Information restricted.”**

‘You…’ Yuuya gave a forced laugh, “Ahahaha. You’ve seen through my ruse! I am in fact 15.”

                ‘ _Is this kid smart or stupid?’_ Ren sighed, “Whatever, let’s go.”

                As Yuuya and Ren made their way to the yet unnamed village, Yuuya began thinking about how to proceed. Apparently, Ren would not be traveling with him for very long. ‘First thing’s first. I need to find a way to get to Konoha. And, I need to make a plan for the future.’

                He managed to survive what seemed like insurmountable odds, but this was only the beginning. There was too much he did not do; Too much that still needed done. _‘No matter what happens, I need to succeed. Everything is riding on it.’_

               

**Author’s Note: One more chapter is done! The prologue is almost over now, and I still haven’t received any feedback on my fights, but I try my best. Next chapter we’ll finally get some needed explanation on key game stuff. And we have to say goodbye to ol’ Ren; My final OC in this story. There’ll be all kinds of twists and turns so stick around!**


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